The conference was organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision with the assistance of the project “Policy action for climate security in Central Asia”, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the support of the British Embassy, and of the project “Jashyl Klimat” with the support of the European Union.
The conference was attended by the Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, the UNDP Resident Representative, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Kyrgyzstan, as well as representatives of civil society organisations, academia, business, the media, the expert community, and representatives of ministries, agencies and international organisations involved in delivering the climate agenda in the country. The conference brought together more than 60 offline participants and more than 90 people online from all regions of the country.
The delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic took part in the main climate event of this year – the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-26) and the Third Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement. The conference brought together more than 25 thousand people from 196 countries of the world and took place from 31 October to 12 November in Glasgow.
“The Conference of the Parties in Glasgow is direct confirmation of the importance of technology and climate issues for the leadership of our country, since the Kyrgyz Republic was the only country of the Central Asian region to take part at the level of the head of state. In addition, with the active support of UNDP and the British Embassy, we were the first to develop and adopt an updated report on nationally determined contributions. This process took place with the active participation of the country’s civil society. The NDC is a strategically important document that sets out the foundations of the climate agenda for the coming five-year period”, emphasised Dinara Kutmanova, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision.
Ahead of the conference, 153 countries submitted their climate pledges (NDCs). The Kyrgyz Republic submitted its NDC, which set the overall mitigation target of the Kyrgyz Republic to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 16.63% by 2025 and by 15.97% by 2030 under the “business as usual” scenario. With international support, GHG emissions will be reduced by 36.61% by 2025 and by 43.62% by 2030 under the “business as usual” scenario.
UNDP Resident Representative Louise Chamberlain noted that the outcomes of the Glasgow conference include both achievements and directions for further development: “This is a moment for learning lessons after the long-awaited 26th Conference of the Parties, which has finally taken place. Today there is an opportunity to draw conclusions and to reflect together on the way ahead. We sincerely hope to cooperate with all partners and colleagues in order to support this transformational process in Kyrgyzstan. The active engagement and participation of each of us will determine our collective success”.
During the national conference the main results and achievements of the 26th Conference of the Parties in Glasgow for the world were discussed, along with their significance and outcomes for Kyrgyzstan. Consideration was also given to how international and national representatives of civil society, young people and the media were involved in the preparations for COP-26, and how the international community was involved in this process. In 2009 developed countries agreed to mobilise 100 billion US dollars a year from 2020 to 2025 to help developing countries adapt to climate change and reduce emissions. The funds are needed to finance such requirements as renewable energy sources, flood protection, drought-resistant crops and the development of green technologies.
It should be noted that the process of monitoring progress in implementing and achieving the NDC targets is important for Kyrgyzstan after COP-26. In accordance with the Paris Agreement, processes have been established for tracking efforts at the national level in order to assess whether a country is meeting its targets and whether the collective sum of the individual contributions of all Parties is on track to achieve the common goal.
As the participants of the national conference noted, the Glasgow decision is only the first step, and taking into account the lessons and achievements of our country’s participation in COP-26, it is necessary to define the trajectory of climate policy in the Kyrgyz Republic for further development.